Top 6 Beach Party Ideas for Kiwi Families There’s more to summer than sunshine and swimming! Why not host a beach party for your family and friends? Perfect as an alternative to that Christmas roast at Nana’s or having your daughter’s birthday party inside at home, a beach party is a celebration to remember! New Zealand’s 6 Most Popular Beach Party Ideas I love a great party, no matter where it is. Recently I have styled a few amazing parties at some of Auckland’s most beautiful beaches. I find that the Auckland city beaches such as Mission Bay and Takapuna Beach are great family friendly beaches, with Piha and Muriwai […]

Karaka Christmas Party Over the last year, Party By Design, has been doing things a bit different, and definitely a bit bigger! With our biggest event being the Karaka Christmas Party. I was approached by a local school in Karaka to be a part of their Christmas in Karaka: House and Garden Ramble. Local homes in close proximity were decorated in theme by various companies, all in the name of Charity for the local school. I was designated the beautiful house of the Chitty Family, what started as a small play room styling turned into three areas around the property. The Chitty’s Home was also the venue for the large […]

I have always loved old furniture, I love the history each piece holds, they all have their own story. I found this passion soon after my Granddad “Old Pops” passed away, he had some old favourites that held so many memories but had seen better days and were in need of help. This is where Ant’s from Voodoo Molly Vintage came in, she took these pieces and gave them a makeover, a new lease of life. Each piece holds many stories from my childhood days and now they are in my home and the stories can be shared with my children. My favourite was his favourite chair – the bain […]

Planning a wedding can be very stressful, add to that 3 children and a job….. The bride, Emily, was the winner of our custom engagement dessert table, with her wedding date just around the corner she chose to have the dessert table styled for her big day instead. Emily and her Hubby to be, Sean, clearly had a winning streak, they were also winners of the Bride and Groom Magazine Wedding Package (now that is a mouthful). But really this was not down to luck but more talent, you see Emily is an amazing artist, her winning entry included the sketched portraits of her family which were to be incorporated […]

So by now you will know that Party by Design provides Themed Party Packages and matching dessert tables, from Pirate to Fairy, Baby Showers to Gender Reveal. But sometimes people want something a little different, maybe they want to change the colour of the tablecloths, maybe they want to use some decorations from another theme, or maybe they want to combine a few packages. Zee’s daughter was turning 1 and we know Fairy wings and skirts are not everyone’s cup of tea so we decided to do a Party setup to keep all the guests happy – a combination of the Pirate and Fairy themed party packages. Living and working overseas […]

Both young and old generations share a love of diggers. In fact, I have yet to meet a male who does not smile with fond memories of excavators or front end loaders. Little boys are especially keen on construction vehicles, so I’ve put together some great ideas to use at a digger themed birthday party. Digger Themed Birthday Party Ideas Sure To Wow I completely understand the attraction boys have to diggers and other construction machinery. That’s why I created the Construction Party Theme package, which takes all the hassle out of coming up with the decorations and tableware for busy parents. But as well as the goodies my package […]

Deck the halls with bells of snow balls, or something like that! But when it comes to mid winter party ideas, I’ve got a snow ball bunch of them to share with you, including some beautiful decoration ideas and how to make your table look like something out of a magazine! Mid Winter Party Ideas Parties totally rock no matter what the season, which is why I have them all year round. Over here in the Southern Hemisphere, some of us would love to have a winter, snowy Christmas, but the weather just doesn’t play ball. So we have started to have Christmas in July when ‘The weather outside is […]

Dessert tables, aka candy bars or dessert buffets, are becoming incredibly popular at New Zealand parties. They have been huge in the USA for a while now, with little old NZ a bit slower to catch on. But still, better late than never, I say. When organising a party, hosts are choosing to add dessert tables to their to their list of must haves, but not only for the food that is on it. They are using dessert tables for the amazing visual impact it gives to the event itself, as they definitely create a wow factor. How To Create A Stylish Dessert Table Creating a stylish and enchanting display takes a […]

I remember fondly the nervous anticipation to find out weather bump was a boy or a girl, not everyone finds out but I am a well know control freak and I wanted to know everything. But most off all I wanted to decorate babies room complete with name. With my oldest I was sure I was having a Boy, I think this was more the “I am not sure I can handle a teenage girl like I was, so a boy would be much easier”. But when the Sonographer told me we were having a wee girl I cried with Joy (maybe a little fear, but mostly joy) and then went […]

Candy Buffet’s are the new black. Along with Dessert Tables, Candy Buffet’s are a must have at every event. Limited not just to Children’s Birthday Parties these are now proving to be a popular addition to engagements, baby showers and weddings. Old and young are drawn to these sweet and mouth watering candy displays, let your guests take a trip down memory lane as they chomp down on Jet Planes, Pineapple Lumps …. the options are endless. Apothecary Jars as they are known in the industry (AKA Candy Jars) beautifully display these sweet delights. From tall elegant Jars to Vintage Ribbed and Retro Chic ones. Candy buffets are a great alternative to having a cake […]

Beautifully Styled Dessert tables should not just for birthdays and baby showers. A Christmas themed dessert table certainly is the finishing touch to any Xmas Celebration. It did not take long for the creative juices to start flowing when a customer recently asked me to design and create a Dessert Table for her upcoming Family Christmas Lunch. I knew exactly the look I wanted, so first step was shopping….. Followed quickly by me creating a very large mess while getting crafty, this time in aide of handmade Ribbon Wreath Unfortunately the mess does not end there, I have a Studio where all the design work takes place, the floor is always […]